Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.

He pulls the suitcase through the hallway.

Breakdown of Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.

• er: he
• durch: through
• der Koffer: the suitcase
• der Flur: the hallway
• ziehen: to pull

Questions & Answers about Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.

Why is it den twice?

Because both nouns are masculine singular in the accusative case.

• den Koffer: direct object of ziehen (transitive verb → accusative)
• durch den Flur: durch always takes the accusative

Masculine articles:

• Nominative: der
• Accusative: den
• Dative: dem
• Genitive: des

Could it be dem Flur?

No. durch is an accusative-only preposition. It belongs to the set: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um (and rarely wider). So it must be durch den Flur, never durch dem Flur.

What are the genders and plurals of Koffer and Flur?

• der Koffer (masc.), plural: die Koffer; genitive singular: des Koffers
• der Flur (masc.), plural: die Flure; genitive singular: des Flurs

What’s the difference between durch den Flur, im Flur, and in den Flur?

• im Flur (= in dem Flur, dative): location — being in the hallway
  • Example: Er steht im Flur.
• in den Flur (accusative): motion into the hallway
  • Example: Er geht in den Flur.
• durch den Flur (accusative): motion through the hallway (from one side to the other)
  • Example: Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.

Is this using the separable verb durchziehen?

No. The main verb here is ziehen, and durch den Flur is a prepositional phrase telling you the path.

• Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur. = He pulls the suitcase through the hallway.
• With the separable verb durchziehen, durch would be a particle and typically you’d get something like: Er zieht den Koffer durch. (He pulls it through [completely].) That emphasizes completion, not the specific path.
• There’s also inseparable durchziehen (stress on ziehen) meaning “to carry through, to complete” (e.g., Er zieht das Projekt durch.), which is a different meaning.

Can I say Er zieht den Koffer durch?

Yes, but it means “He pulls the suitcase through (to the other side/completely),” without naming the path. If you want to specify the path, you need the prepositional phrase: durch den Flur.

Which verb should I use: ziehen, schieben, tragen, rollen, schleppen?

• ziehen: pull (typical for a wheeled suitcase behind you)
• schieben: push (in front of you, like a trolley)
• tragen: carry (lifted)
• rollen: roll (let the wheels do the work, neutral about pushing/pulling)
• schleppen: lug/haul (heavy, tiring, often complaining)
• Also common: hinter sich herziehen (drag behind oneself)

Examples:

• Er schiebt den Koffer durch den Flur.
• Er trägt den Koffer durch den Flur.
• Er rollt den Koffer durch den Flur.
• Er schleppt den Koffer durch den Flur.

Can I move parts around for emphasis?

Yes. German is verb-second in main clauses, so you can front different elements for emphasis:

• Neutral: Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.
• Emphasize the path: Durch den Flur zieht er den Koffer.
• Emphasize the object: Den Koffer zieht er durch den Flur.

Avoid the awkward order Er zieht durch den Flur den Koffer in neutral contexts.
In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end:

• …, weil er den Koffer durch den Flur zieht.

How do I say it in the past?

• Simple past (Präteritum): Er zog den Koffer durch den Flur. (common in written narrative)
• Present perfect (Perfekt): Er hat den Koffer durch den Flur gezogen. (common in speech)

Note on auxiliaries: ziehen uses haben when it’s transitive (as here). It uses sein when it’s intransitive with the meaning “to move (to a place)”:

• Er ist nach Berlin gezogen.

How do I express “He is pulling …” (progressive aspect)?

German has no mandatory progressive form, so use:

• Er zieht gerade den Koffer durch den Flur. (most common)
• Er ist dabei, den Koffer durch den Flur zu ziehen. (he’s in the process of …)
• Colloquial/regional: Er ist am Ziehen.

How do I replace things with pronouns?

• Replace the suitcase (den Koffer, masc. acc.): Er zieht ihn durch den Flur.
• Replace the hallway (den Flur, masc. acc. after durch):
  • To avoid confusion with “him,” use a pronominal adverb or “da”-construction:
    
    • Colloquial and clear: Er zieht den Koffer da durch.
    • More formal/explicit: Er zieht den Koffer dadurch hindurch.
  • Er zieht den Koffer dadurch is ambiguous because dadurch often means “as a result.”
  • Er zieht den Koffer durch ihn is grammatically possible but usually avoided (it can sound like “through him”).

Can durch das contract to durchs?

Yes, with neuter nouns: durch das Zimmer → durchs Zimmer.
Not here, because Flur is masculine. So you must say durch den Flur, not durchs Flur.

How do you pronounce the key words?

• zieht: like “tseet” — z = ts, ie = long “ee,” final t crisp
• durch: “durkh” — short “u” (like in “put”), German uvular r, soft ch (as in German ich)
• Koffer: “KOFF-er” — short “o” (like in “off”), final -er is a light schwa
• Flur: “floo(r)” — long “u” (like “oo”), lightly pronounced r

Can I drop the article?

Not with singular countable nouns in neutral statements. You normally need a determiner:

• Er zieht einen/seinen/den Koffer durch den Flur.

You can omit the article in the plural if you mean “suitcases” in general:

• Er zieht Koffer durch den Flur. (grammatical but unusual without context)

Is Flur the only word for “hallway”?

Other options exist:

• der Flur: common in homes/apartments in Germany
• der Gang: very common in Austria/Switzerland; in Germany it can also mean “corridor,” but it has other meanings too (course/gear/walk)
• der Korridor: more formal/technical, used in hotels, hospitals, ships, etc.

In everyday German in Germany, Flur is the default for a hallway in a flat or house.